Samuel Jay Field (October 12, 1848 – October 28, 1904) was an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

player who played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

Philadelphia Centennials The Centennial baseball club, or Philadelphia Centennials in modern nomenclature, were a short-lived baseball team in the National Association in 1875. They were named the Centennial club during a time when the city of Philadelphia was busy makin ...

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

, and

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

in 1875 and 1876. He was primarily a

catcher Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...

Early life and amateur career

Field was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

in 1848. During the last two years of the American Civil War, he served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

aboard the USS ''Richmond''. He began playing baseball in 1865, prior the formation of professional leagues. During the early years, he played for a Philadelphia team and caught for

Cherokee Fisher William Charles "Cherokee" Fisher (November 1844 – September 26, 1912) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher who played in the National Association from 1871 to 1875 and the National League in 1876 and 1878. Career Fisher was a pit ...

. He played for 15 years and was regarded as "one of the leading baseball players" of his section of the country. '' The Sporting Life'' called him "one of the best catchers of his time."

Professional career

During the 1875 season, Field appeared in three games for the

and five games with the

of the

National Association of Professional Base Ball Players The National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (NAPBBP), often known simply as the National Association (NA), was the first fully- professional sports league in baseball. The NA was founded in 1871 and continued through the 1875 se ...

. In 1876, he played in four games for the

of the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

, which were his last appearances in the major leagues. In 1877, Field played for the minor league

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...

of the

League Alliance The League Alliance was the first semi-affiliated minor league baseball league. Proposed by Al Spalding on January 15, 1877. Independent baseball teams were to affiliate with National League teams, which would honor their respective contracts. The ...

until he suffered a season-ending thumb fracture in August. Later in life, Field played for the Reading Actives, of whom he was a part owner.

Personal life and death

Field's younger brother,

Jim Field James C. Field (April 24, 1863 in Philadelphia – May 13, 1953 in Atlantic City, New Jersey) was a Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league i ...

, also played in the major leagues. In his later years, Field was a fire chief and the proprietor of the Central Hotel in

Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania Sinking Spring is a borough in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 4,008 at the 2010 census. Sinking Spring was given its name for a spring located in the center of town. The water in this spring would sink into the grou ...

. He died in Sinking Spring in 1904.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Field, Sam 1848 births 1904 deaths Baseball players from Philadelphia Washington Nationals (NA) players Philadelphia Centennials players Cincinnati Reds (1876–1879) players 19th-century baseball players Auburn (minor league baseball) players Buffalo (minor league baseball) players